My dad always said that to become a real scientist you should always ask “Why?”.
Curiousity is the basement of every science and science in general.
Does science play a significant role in youe life?
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It kept my kids alive, does that count?
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Can science of some sort not be a part of our lives? I think the list would be really long if I listed the ways science is involved in sustaining life, enhancing life and making life more enjoyable.
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My high school Biology teacher liked to tell us, “All science begins with awareness,” meaning in order for science to begin, you have to be observant. Once you’ve observed something happening enough, then you could ask “why” is it happening, I suppose.
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Science is central to my life through my work. I have multiple scientific degrees, so you could say that I have been immersed in the use of the scientific theory and hypothesis testing for most of my life.
“Why” is a reasonable question, but I would quickly follow that question up with “How”.
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I ask all kinds of questions, so some people don’t like mine. 
I approach every day with childlike wonder, and in this crazy world, just waking up to it in one piece is a blessing. One more sunrise, one more look out at a world where people are mostly getting along, when in most of our history it wasn’t so pleasant. It still amazes me.
I sit in a room surrounded by the wonders of technology, some of the highest tech of tech. Musical instruments which emulate other instruments. Typing on a gaming rig which is average by today’s computer standards, but still potent enough to let me fly around in a galaxy even larger than the incredible M87, and explore planets till I die, while still barely seeing any of them.
But the fact that all this is possible in a world with human beings of sometimes questionable agendas fills me with more wonder in the direction of philosophy and religion. This is the foundation for our world, and something which is much ignored by my silly race, but they make all this possible. How to live, and why we live, are the real questions for me, more than all the cool toys and gadgets. Cool as they are. 
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Most people are not even aware that science plays a part in their lives, as the others said, we should remind ourselves of that more often.
There was this funny clip a few years ago where a provocative “journalist” criticised public funding, “what has your science ever done for me?” And the NASA(?) scientist just said “you are broadcasting via satellite.”
I’m sure children take wireless and GPS for granted just like my generation took vaccinations and plastics (and many other artificial fibres) for granted.
When I go hiking I get this strange mixture of stoneage pride of using fire, sticks, rocks, and water — until it sinks in that my clothing, sleeping bag, raincoat, backpack, tent/tarps, and boots are all made of high-tech waterproof light-weight materials, without which I’d be very uncomfortable right now. 
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It’s probably worthwhile to take a step back, and consider what science is. Because it’s not lab coats and test tubes; it’s not computers and data analysis; and it’s not microscopes or telescopes. It can involve all those things, but, at the core, science is no more than a structured method of asking questions.
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Ohhh, that reminds me of a conversation I had on Discord when this whole NMS ARG started! There were several people who spread rumours that, if you performed certain raindances, then the game would magically reward you by unlocking hidden features (such as working portals).
I’m not saying they should give up at the first failure! I’d just prefer they would not announce it works before they have even succeeded once…
E.g. one said when you walk into the direction that the little flag at the portal points until you find a portal, then you find a portal - in 100% of cases. I (being a smartalec) pointed out that this was a truism, and asked whether they were sure that they would not equally find a portal eventually when going in any other direction. I mentioned the scientific method, and he said he didn’t see where scientific method_s_ were applicable or possible inside a sci-fi game.
I tried to explain what I meant, but was doing a bad job. Another guy said he would add my advice to his list of best practices of how to approach puzzles in ARGs, and ended up writing something completely different (and in my opinion useless). So I clearly failed at expressing what I meant… 
If one of you has a good short explanation of the scientific method, that people can grok, I’d be interested in hearing it.
I said something like, when you have an idea (such as, “walking in the flag direction makes us find portals faster”), some people should test that and write down how long it took them to find a portal. (Or whatever the task is.) And others should do the opposite, e.g. walk in any other direction, and write down how long it took them to find a portal. And if one way is not significantly faster, then it’s clearly not a thing…
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- a method of procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses.
"criticism is the backbone of the scientific method "
I engaged in scientific method yesterday as I worked to upgrade my new Living Ship. I found that the advice online is stretched so far across ideas and suggestions that it is basically useless. So, I found an uninhabited system, turned toward the sun, then pulse jetted. I found a fairly consistent pattern of appearance in the Void Egg upgrades. It varied slightly every 3-4 tries. Would be nice to run this with a number of other people and see what results others get.
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I have n BA degree in Science (Microbiology). I work in IT. LOL.
Great discoveries start with observations, then educated guesses (hypotheses), then testing the guesses, and lastly seeing if you and others can replicate the results.
Though I never used my degree for a vocation, I do have a keen appreciation for the impact of COVID-19 and infectious diseases in general on our bodies. Microbiology tip: Stay clear of Spirochetes! Those evil buggers are plain screwy.
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Can we change that to “Great discoveries start with observations, then educated guesses (hypotheses), then testing the guesses, and lastly seeing if someone else can prove you’re a complete blithering idiot with the mental aptitude of a sea cucumber!”
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